2008 Suzuki XL7 Owner's Manual - Page 178

SERVICE AND APPEARANCE CARE CAUTION If your engine catches fire because you keep driving with no coolant, your vehicle can be badly damaged. The costly repairs would not be covered by your warranty. Refer to "Overheated Engine Protection Operating Mode" in this section for information on driving to a safe place in an emergency. If No Steam Is Coming From Your Engine If you get an engine overheat warning, but see or hear no steam, the problem may not be too serious. Sometimes the engine can get a little too hot when you Climb a long hill on a hot day. Stop after high-speed driving. Idle for long periods in traffic. Tow a trailer. If you no longer have the overheat warning, you can drive. Just to be safe, drive slower for about 10 minutes. If the warning does not come back on, you can drive normally. If the warning continues and you have not stopped, pull over, stop, and park your vehicle right away. If there is still no sign of steam, you can idle the engine for three minutes while you are parked. If you still have the warning, turn off the engine and get everyone out of the vehicle until it cools down. Also, see "Overheated Engine Protection Operating Mode" later in this section. You may decide not to lift the hood but to get service help right away. Overheated Engine Protection Operating Mode This emergency operating mode allows your vehicle to be driven to a safe place in an emergency situation. If an overheated engine condition exists, an overheat protection mode which alternates firing groups of cylinders helps prevent engine damage. In this mode, you will notice a significant loss in power and engine performance. The engine coolant temperature warning light on the instrument panel will come on to indicate the vehicle has entered overheated engine protection operating mode. The temperature gage will also indicate an overheat condition exists. Driving extended miles (km) and/or towing a trailer in the overheat protection mode should be avoided. CAUTION After driving in the overheated engine protection operating mode, to avoid engine damage, allow the engine to cool before attempting any repair. The engine oil will be severely degraded. Repair the cause of coolant loss, change the oil and reset the oil life system. Refer to "Engine Oil" in this section. If you get the overheat warning with no sign of steam, try this for a minute or so: 1) In heavy traffic, let the engine idle in NEUTRAL (N) while stopped. If it is safe to do so, pull off the road, shift to PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N) and let the engine idle. 2) Set the climate controls to the highest heat setting and fan speed and open the windows as necessary. 5-13